My WingChun Synthesis

As many of you know, Ive been putting my WC training though the crucible of training MMA and kickboxing over the past year or so. Insodoing my WC has changed more than a little. Some of you have asked for some specifics, so here is a small start to that. This one covers stance and some very basic hand strikes, and how they differ both from the WC I was taught and the typical kickboxing/mma way.

I'll upload more video later, hopefully including a sparring video or two.

For now I'll talk about a couple of the revelation/a ha moments I've had over the past year. Firstly, I used to use WC situationally, ie I would box at range and only think about WC stuff in a standing clinch. Now it just tends to blend into everything. Always forward intent but always to the angle. Never straight forward unless he is offline. Always striving to jam the outside gate. This is stuff I knew in my head from WC, but you don't really understand until you feel actual pressure from another human being that also understands these things.

Anyway, specific conclusions I have come to.

Kwon sau is awesome when the other guy likes to throw straight kicks.

Bong Sau is useless. No really, I've never found a situation where it helped, and leaves me out of position.

The downward elbows are tricky, nobody really expects them. They are great for breaking collar ties just long enough for a follow-up.

Pac sau is 90% of the hand movements that aren't a punch. The remaining ten percent is everything else.

Also, huen sau. It's amazing how useful this movement is for hand fighting, grappling, and escapes.

Bong Sau is useless. No really, I've never found a situation where it helped, and leaves me out of position.

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Anyone else have troubles with Bong?

I've never been able to do bong sau straight up.
I usually use it out of habit for defection and cover and it pretty much always turns into Lan right after. Or if I'm not going to lan sau I don't bong. idk.

Or it may have been an instinctual Bong that turns into cover and normally followed up with this movement at 2:37 out of my point sparring habits.

I've never been able to do bong sau straight up.
I usually use it out of habit for defection and cover and it pretty much always turns into Lan right after. Or if I'm not going to lan sau I don't bong. idk.

Or it may have been an instinctual Bong that turns into cover and normally followed up with this movement at 2:37 out of my point sparring habits.

I still like it but I wouldn't call it just a bong sau

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For me it works fine during chi sau and such, or if I maintain classical footwork and posture. But I don't, so it doesn't

Plus, if I'm under the arm on the mirror side, I want my arm to be to the outside so I can grab an underhook or throw a body shot. Having it to the inside just puts me in recovery mode, and that's if it works!

I am sure there are others out there that make it work. I think the fact that I am taller than most people has something to do with it. Getting under to the inside seems to work better for shorter guys.

I've never been able to do bong sau straight up.
I usually use it out of habit for defection and cover and it pretty much always turns into Lan right after. Or if I'm not going to lan sau I don't bong. idk.

Or it may have been an instinctual Bong that turns into cover and normally followed up with this movement at 2:37 out of my point sparring habits.

I still like it but I wouldn't call it just a bong sau

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I’ve used it a few times when sparring and found it effective. That said, I think there are differences in how I implement it that might make a difference. Context also matters. I tend to use low bong sao more than high.